03/12/2021
NOT WISHING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH
The apostle Peter said, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV). The apostle Paul also said God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:4 ESV). Yet many end up perishing than getting saved. There are more people in hell than in heaven (Mt. 7:13,14; Luke 13:23-25). Why is that?
God honors peoples’ choices and he lets them choose for themselves where they want to spend eternity. If people choose to repent and put faith in him and in his Son, they will share eternity with him (John 14:1; Acts 16:31,34, 20:21). If they decide to reject him and spurn his salvation through Jesus Christ, he lets them do it (Ezek. 33:9; Heb. 2:3,12:25). However, they will eternally suffer the consequences of their decision.
God “invites” people to be saved (Luke 14:16). The last book of the Bible gives the invitation clearly three times (Rev. 22:17). He also “commands” them to repent and believe (Acts 20:21). He “makes an appeal” to all sinners through those who preach the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). He “calls” sinners unto himself through Jesus Christ that they might be saved (Luke 5:32; Acts 2:21). God is able to save all men and take them to heaven. But he respects their free will and will not force himself on them. He doesn’t coerce, push, manipulate, deceive and seduce sinners to become his children. He gives them the choice to become saints or to remain sinners; to become his children or remain children of the devil; to go to heaven or to go to hell. God works alongside human freedom, but not against it.
The decision to reject God and his Son falls on people; not on God himself (Deut. 18:19; 1 John 2:23). God does not choose people to go to hell. There is no such thing as a divine decree that appoints some people to hell before they were born. If God invites all people to him but then has already appointed some of them to hell, he is a liar and the most vicious monster there is. But he is not like that. God does not reject anyone who comes to him through Christ, but neither does he compel them against their will (John 6:37). The sovereignty of God and man’s free will are clear, parallel and paradoxical truths of Scripture.
Also, the decision to believe in God and in his Son falls on human decision. The phrase showing this is “whosoever will/shall.”
• “whosoever shall” (Luke 12:8)
• “whosoever believe” (John 3:15,16)
• “whosoever” (John 4:14)
• “whosoever believes in him” (Acts 10:43)
• “whosoever believe” (1 John 5:1)
• “the Spirit and the bride say, Come” (Rev. 22:17)
God has more than enough power to save all men. But that power is used lovingly and not coercively. The saving work of the Holy Spirit does not nullify human choice. Sinners can choose to be saved or not as indicated by the “whosever” verses above. Also, God gives sinners the choice to be saved (Psalm 110:3). Being “dead in sin” (Eph. 2:1) does not eradicate free will. And even in salvation free will still remains and exercises a great amount of influence in the lives of believers – the will to be faithful to God and Christ or not and the will to “remain in Christ” (John 15:7) or to “depart from the living God” (Heb. 3:12).
It is also true that God has chosen people to be saved before time began (Eph. 1:4; Titus 1:1). But his election does not negate free will. Some are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:1 KJV). Speaking on this verse Vine’s Complete Expository of the Old and New Testament Words say, “God’s foreknowledge involves His electing grace, but this does not preclude human will. He “foreknows” the exercise of faith which brings salvation” (p. 249).
God “wishing” and being “able” to save all men is undoubtedly true. But it also reveals that he is not a cosmic despot that suddenly barges in on humans against their will. He pleads and woos them to turn from sin and turn to him and in his Son in repentance and faith. And if people choose not to do that, he has no choice but to throw them in hell.
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28 KJV).
“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15 KJV).
